Last Monday, as the first episode of #BikerLive was airing on Discovery, and before seeing any of the bikes of the builders in competition, I tweeted that I didn’t care at all on who would win, that I was just interested in seeing 3 great custom motorcycles. Like you (ref. your comments), I was somewhat frustrated by the fact that with a 1-hour format the show production was not (and probably will never be) able to give the 3 builders the time they deserve to explain their creations and the way they were fabricated with accompanying camera close-ups showing the work in progress.
Even the completed projects didn’t get enough air time to let us enjoy and appreciate them. Having the privilege to see many projects before others, I can tell you that the 3 builders did an exceptional job to be very proud of. This feature on “Speedway Kay” by Harlot Cycles, one of the 3 competitors is to illustrate how much work, talent and skills is involved in these built-for-TV custom motorcycles.
Although Nate Jacobs is not yet a household name, he is already quite well known by many in the industry who consider his work coming from a true professional custom builder. By the way, he received the Cyril Huze Best Builder Award for another custom named “Bettie” at Willie’s Old School Chopper Show during Daytona Bike Week 2012… After being General Manager of Billy Lane’s Choppers Inc, he opened in 2009 Harlot Cycles in Murfreesboro, TN, a custom shop he operates out of his 22 x 24 home garage. Particularity? He works with tools that most shops don’t own, even never heard of. For example a George Fischer Orbitalum and an Italian-made Kama Saw.
Why the name “Speedway Kay”, I asked Jacobs? He told me that for his first TV appearance he wanted to create a custom with a very special meaning to him and his family. His grandparents were avid riders and were fond of the speedway racing style which inspired his BikerLive creation. After retiring, his grandfather drove a charter bus line. It explains the badge on the neck of the bike which is the one off his charter bus service hat. And Kay is the first name of his grandmother…
Jacobs doesn’t care much about what is trending in the custom motorcycle industry. As you can see on these pictures, he is doing his own thing, bringing to his creations a few fresh ideas on which he will tell you he obsesses until he can produce them to perfection. Speedway Kay was completed in 4 weeks, less that the 5-week tine frame allowed by the camera crew of Pilgrim Studios. It is remarkable when you account for the number of hand-made parts and the difficulty to produce and assemble them.
Helped by his childhood friend Buck Howard (welder/fabricator) and 22-year old Jenn “Sweet” Brown (apprentice), Jacobs bended and welded tubes until he reached the perfect Single Loop Race Frame to cradle a genuine 1974 Harley Shovelhead engine and 4-speed tranny (rebuilt by Kevin Blane at Innovations). Then, the in-house team fabricated the gorgeous Springer type front end with a style borrowing from art-deco lines while but also incorporating some “streamline modern” elements (an art movement derived from art-deco.) Look attentively at the pictures and read the tech sheet below. It would take many great builders more than 3 months to produce such a detailed custom. Creating “Speedway Kay” in only 1 month front of the very distracting cameras demonstrates exceptional skills and talent. The bike will be on display this Summer at Michael’s Lichter Exhibition at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip. Harlot Cycles. (all photography @ Harlot Cycles for Cyril Huze)
GENERAL
Builder. Harlot Cycles
Fabrication. Harlot Cycles
Year/Make 2014 Harlot Cycles Special Construction
Model Speedway Kay
Assembly Harlot Cycles
Time 4 weeks
Plating. Polishing Chromemasters, Nashville, TN
ENGINE
Year/ Make 1974
Harley Davidson Model FLH
Rebuilder Kevin Blane- Innovations, Harlot Cycles
Displacement 93 cu. in.
Ignition Morris Magneto
Cam Andrews 2B Lifters Solid
Carb S&S Super E
Air Cleaner None
Exhaust Harlot Cycles
TRANSMISSION
Year/Make 1974 Harley Davidson
Shifting 4-°©‐Speed Jockey
Primary Primo 2″ Open Belt
PAINTING
Painter Buckwild Design Studio.
Type/ Color House Of Kolors. Custom Mix blue and white
Special Paint Gold Leaf, Pinstriped Accents
FRAME
Year/Make 2014 Harlot Cycles
Type Single Loop Race Frame
Rake 31.2 Degrees
Stretch None
Shocks None
FRONT END
Year/Make 2014 Harlot Cycles
Type Custom Speedway Spring Fork. Builder Harlot Cycles
GAS TANK & OIL TANK
Fabrication Harlot Cycles.
Type Handmade with recessed panels
FENDER
Fabrication Harlot Cycles
Type Handmade with recessed panels
ACCESSORIES
Speedway Bars, Harlot Cycles
Lowbrow GT Grips
Headlight 1920 Autolite, Modified by Harlot Cycles
Taillight Doray, Modified by Harlot Cycles
Pegs/Foot Controls Boosted Brad’s Chop Shop
Brakes Performance Machine
Seat Croft Leather
WHEELS
Make Excel
Size 21″Front, 18″Rear
Hubs Wargasser-
Spokes/Nipples Buchanan in Stainless
Tires. Trials.
Jacobs gives special thanks to Chromemasters, Wolfe Industrial, his build Team, all his friends and family.
This bike should have won the 1st Bikerlive vote.
The days of the well produced Biker Buildoff’s are unfortunately over, yet I wish the shows could get off this “Live” crap, and really produce the shows of the old. Asking viewers to tweet their winning choice moments after the show starts… really? I didn’t even know these shops before the show began. No offense to the shops, the bikes were great as were the builders, but the show just didn’t work for me.
I’d love to see the original buildoff concept re-started, as well Build or Bust. Real builds, rally action, not so “social media / live” controlled. Just my two cents, Jack “House of Choppers Magazine”
I agree with FDW1 this is the true winner of the show , more fab than any of the others and very well done. Extremely nice . Keep up the GREAT work!!!! In the words of ( Indian Larry) , build what you love and the rest will come …
Don’t expect any improvement of #Bikerlive because the 6 episodes have been shot and edited.
Cyril knows better. He picked the unofficial winner. The official winner must have been picked by Paul Jr.
Great job. Would like this one in my fleet.
Indian Larry( my favorite builder) would have loved this scoot. The polar opposite of those ridiculous way over-hyped big wheel baggers. R.I.P.Indian Larry.
A good one.
Very nice bike, should have won!
There’s your winner right there! Too bad #BikerLive is doing the Twitter voting thing because in my opinion, most of us don’t have Twitter accounts. What they need to do is post detailed pictures like these on Facebook and the bike with the most “Likes” wins. But I’m sure there’s some sort of marketing deal between Discovery and Twitter so we’ll never see this get any better.
Kudos to Nate and his team they did an amazing job on this – every square inch is fantastic!
Actually, ironically, Paul Jr picked Speedway Kay as his favorite and so did Chip Foose. It had my vote. This thing is a true build and innovative awesomeness. It IS a shame they didn’t even show the building process.
Wondering how the Speedway Shovel rides? Brass headlamp? Gives you an idea of what Paco’s brass lamp looks like mounted.
This bike is a little too “Billy Laneish” for my taste, however, this is a damn fine bike and should have been, in my humble opinion, the winner of the “build off”.
Over & Out,
Jeff
This is a very nice build. It was entered the April Spring Thaw bike in TN and I was able to look it over in detail.
I thought this bike was the best of the three (by a country mile), and tweeted my vote for it. I’m an old gray beard chopper guy, and learned to use my twitter account specifically so I could cast my votes for this series. I love all custom bikes: bobbers, long bikes, board tracker style customs, fat tire “pro street” builds, thug style dynas and fxrs, SoCal softails, and big wheel baggers.
beautiful handiwork. rad racer, yes! (when something so obvious is blown, makes me wonder what i’m not seeing. must i attend tv production courses, or what?)
Great bike. I thought this was the winner as well. Program how ever needs some help> scrap the Live vote crap and show the winner the following week along with some close ups. the winner was a nice bike as well just not in the same class as this bike. and the other build was , well, back yard for sure. from what you can see on TV anyway.
great bike
I don’t think that the show is being honest about the tweets = votes… Based on statistical info (that the production company of the show tweeted itself and then promptly removed) showed a different builder “trending” and ahead in tweeted votes at voting close than who was crowned the winner. If you do enjoy the show for some reason- just watch it instead of trying to distract yourself with trying to tweet votes that (based on the evidence) may not count.
This bike should have won in my opinion. I would ride it. Reminds me more of a Bare Knuckle Choppers style but not as aggressive in height/stance as Pauls builds.
Build Off? Looks more like a knock off off Billy’s Air Force bike.
Billy’s bike was better, and he did it under much more difficult circumstances.
Very nice !!!
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Watched the second episode of #BikerLive. Except the guys of Prism Motorcycles, the others were clowns, building the ugliest bikes I have ever seen. No more watching. This show is going to hurt the good builders. Tragic.
Congrats to Nate Jacobs and crew and building an exceptional piece. If all the “Huze Haters” on this site can do is rant about how they dislike the Biker Live show or compare your work to that of Billy Lane (back ended compliment) you are doing pretty good.
@Kirk, I read your post and was hoping that you were going to tell me how to make $2500/wk from home on my computer.
Neat, I didn’t realize this was a classified ads website.
I have a coffee can full of miscellaneous sockets, some cracked, mostly junk. $50.
all in only 4 weeks?
I just think the show is a little confusing. From the get-go you are told to vote for your favorite “BUILDER”. Then the next day it is all about what “BIKE” won. My vote would be different for which people/shop I enjoy (from what is shown on TV) vs what bike deserves to win.
So what am I truly supposed to be voting for?
Better than great!
Looks like Billy Lane’s military bike. Specifically the forks. Like it!
Beautiful workmanship but I wouldn’t have known it. I was watching the episode on a big 60″ TV and due to the poor camera work I never saw any of it.
This is a nice bike would be great to see riding down the road. The only crit is no front brakes that I can see. Maybe they are hidden somewhere in the nice metal work. Other than stopping quickly all else looks fine.
I suspect that what you’ve seen on the first two shows is what you will continue to see, they have already made all the shows and none of the comments we make will make any difference, when will Discovery and the others learn that we waht to see the builds not the stupid drama and poorly scripted comments on the shows, I understand that CMT will do a buildoff also, wonder if they are listening.
By-the-way, good job, builders, for thier efforts, its a shame they were given so little so Discovery could make so much, I can still hear thier laughting all trhe way to the bank (at our expense).
Just absolutely magnificent. Anyone else that tells you that it looks like Billy Bike or like Larrys kind of Bik5, remember that all Bikes look like someone else’s tell them that someone inspired you are here to inspire someone also. This is a 100 Point Build.
Absolutely terrific bike, should have been an easy winner, guess all of us that liked it best, don’t have tweeter accounts. After years of building, I question four weeks to scratch build that bike, half the time I can’t get my chrome and paint back in that time. However much time was spent the result is super nice!